Design and implementation of a temporary emergency department‐intensive care unit patient care model during the COVID‐19 pandemic surge

Drumheller, Byron C.; Mareiniss, Darren P.; Overberger, Ryan C.; Sabolick, Erin E.

The ongoing pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has resulted in rapid surges of critically ill patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pneumonia presenting to the emergency department (ED) and requiring ICU admission nationwide. Despite adaptations in critical care personnel staffing, bed availability and supply provision, many inpatient ICUs have become acutely crowded, leading to boarding of critically ill patients with COVID‐19 and other diseases in the ED. To address this scenario at our urban, safety net, tertiary care institution in the spring of 2020, we designed and implemented a temporary “emergency department‐intensive care unit” (ED‐ICU) patient care service. Critical care‐trained emergency physicians took call and came into the hospital overnight/on weekends to provide bedside treatment to admitted ICU patients boarding for prolonged periods in our ED. In this manuscript, we describe the creation and execution of the ED‐ICU service and the characteristics and management of the patients who received care under this model.